AZUSA, Calif. – When the Cougars needed someone to rise up to the occasion, both
Zoe March and
Laura Pranger answered the call. March had a dominant second half to lead the Cougars back from a double-digit deficit, and Pranger won the game on a driving layup that she banked off the glass with .3 remaining in the game to deliver a 72-70 win over Fresno Pacific on Thursday evening.
The Cougars found themselves playing catch-up, with the visiting Sunbirds taking a nine-point lead into the halftime locker room, and holding a second half lead of 12 points at 38-26 with 8:40 remaining in the third quarter. While Azusa Pacific cut the deficit to as little as one point in the third quarter, Fresno Pacific held the lead throughout the period.
Heading into the fourth, the Sunbirds clung to a 49-48 lead. The Cougars would take their first lead in the second half off of a
Molly Whitmore layup for the first two points of the fourth quarter, which gave Azusa Pacific a 50-49 lead.
Savanna Hanson would add another layup to give the Cougars a three-point lead, but Fresno Pacific guard Felicia Dourva tied the game at 52-52 with a three-pointer. Azusa Pacific used a 15-7 run to push its lead up to 67-59 with 3:23 remaining in the game, but the Sunbirds would not go quietly. Fresno Pacific responded with a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to grab a 69-67 advantage with 33 seconds remaining in the contest. With 19 seconds left and the score still 69-67 Sunbirds, Whitmore was fouled and put on the line for two free throws. She hit her first free throw, but missed the second. On the miss, the Cougars were able to secure the rebound and maintain possession of the ball while facing a 69-68 deficit with 17 seconds left.
Following a timeout,
Savanna Hanson scored a huge go-ahead basket to give the Cougars a 70-69 lead with 13 seconds remaining. Once again, the Sunbirds answered, as Jessica Malazarte drove the lane and was fouled with seven seconds left, giving her a chance to either tie or take the lead. Malazarte knocked down her first shot to tie the game at 70-70, but she missed the second and the Cougars collected the rebound and took a timeout with 7.4 seconds remaining.
Out the timeout, the ball was advanced into the front court for the Cougars.
Savanna Hanson inbounded the ball to March, who drove from the top of the key to the free throw line. March was met by a Sunbird defender at the free throw line, forcing her to pick up the ball. She pivoted in the middle of the floor looking for a teammate, eventually finding Pranger open on the right wing. Pranger attacked off of the dribble as soon as she received the pass, blowing past her defender for an uncontested to the rim. She scooped up a shot with her right hand that kissed off the glass and went into the bucket for the game-winning two points. The Sunbirds had .3 seconds remaining following the basket, but a three-quarter court shot by Malazarte fell far short and sealed the Azusa Pacific victory.
While Pranger delivered the biggest shot of the evening, it was the play of March in the second half who led the Cougars back into the game. Over the course of the third and fourth quarters, March scored seven points and dished out six assists, accounting for a total of 22 points. She finished the game with 16 points and seven assists, shooting 6-for-10 overall.
Pranger finished with 12 rebounds and five points, along with three blocks and a steal. Whitmore scored 15 points, and
Savanna Hanson tallied 12 points, while
Daylee Hanson collected 10 rebounds in the game.
With the win, Azusa Pacific is now 19-4 overall and 13-4 in conference play. Up next for the Cougars is a home game against Dominican on Saturday, February 15 at 2:15 pm in the Felix Event Center.
WATCH PRANGER'S GAME-WINNER:
